This invention claims priority to prior application JP 2002-168494, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
This invention relates to an electrical connector with a latch mechanism. The term xe2x80x9celectrical connectorxe2x80x9d will be simply referred to as xe2x80x9cconnectorxe2x80x9d in the present application. In particular, this invention relates to downsizing the connector and to make it suitable for high-speed signal transmission.
Normally, a connector comprises a connector body including contacts or pins and a metallic shell, which surrounds the connector body so as to electrically shield the contacts and to physically protect the same. The shell serves as a fitting portion which is fitted to another shell of a mating connector when the connector is mated with the mating connector.
In order to prevent inadvertent disconnection between a connector and a mating connector because of stress or vibration, the connector has a latch mechanism for holding the connector and the mating connector in mated engagement in cooperation with an engagement portion of the mating connector. The latch mechanism comprises engagement portions which latchingly engage with the other engagement portions of the mating connector when the connector is completely mated with the mating connector. Typical engagement portions of the connector are latching projections such as latching claws or barbs, while ones of a mating connector are slits or grooves with which the latching claws can engage. For example, such a connector is disclosed in JP-B 08-17102.
For more effective prevention of the inadvertent disconnection, it is desirable that the shells of the connectors are secured to each other directly by the latching projections of the connector and the slits of the mating connector. The slits of the mating connector are formed in the shell of the mating connector. The latching projections project from the inside of the shell of the connector outwardly through openings formed in the shell of the connector so that the latching projections engage with the slits through the openings of the connector when the shell of the connector and the other shell of the mating connector are in the fitted state. JP-A 2000-252018 discloses one example of the connector mentioned above.
In consideration of high-speed signal transmission, there is a need for a connector in which a connector body is wholly surrounded by a shell except for openings formed in the shell.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a connector which does meet the above-mentioned need.
This invention is directed ti a connector (70, 180, 290, 390, 480) comprising a connector body (10, 110, 310, 410), a shell (30, 40, 130, 141, 142, 330, 340, 430, 440) and a latch mechanism. The connector body is surrounded by the shell, and the shell has in a first direction one end constituting an interface end (31, 131, 331, 431) of the connector to a mating connector and has two openings (33, 133, 332, 432) formed therein at positions near the interface end. The openings are spaced from each other in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The latch mechanism comprises two buttons (55, 270, 280, 370, 380, 460, 470) and two latch members (20, 120, 320, 420). Each of the latch members includes a latch projection (28, 126, 321, 427) formed on one end thereof in the first direction and a control point (25, 122, 327, 424) for movement of the latch projection. The latch members are arranged between the shell and opposite sides of the connector body in the second direction, respectively, so that, under normal conditions, the latch projections project from an inside of the shell through the openings to an outside of the shell. Each of the buttons includes a pressing portion (56, 165, 273, 371, 461), and the buttons are arranged so that, under the normal condition, the pressing portions are positioned on or adjacent to the control points of the latch members and that, when the buttons are operated, the pressing portions press the control points to urge the latch projections to be retracted to the inside the shell. According to an aspect of this invention, the shell (30, 40, 130, 141, 142, 330, 340, 430, 440) further comprises two apertures (43, 145, 341, 441), each of which has a first area size and which are spaced from each other in the second direction and are positioned farther from the interface end than the openings in the first direction. Each of the latch members (20, 120, 320, 420) further comprises a plate portion (24, 121, 326, 423) and a bulged portion (25, 122, 327, 424) formed on the plate portion, wherein the bulged portion serves as the control point of the latch member. The plate portion has a second area size larger than the first area size while the bulged portion has a third area size smaller than the first area size, and the plate portion is arranged on an inside surface of the shell to block the corresponding aperture under the normal conditions. The bulged portion is surrounded by the corresponding aperture of the shell under the normal conditions so that the bulged portion is touchable from the outside of the shell. The buttons (55, 270, 280, 370, 380, 460, 470) are arranged at the outside of the shell so that the pressing portions (56, 165, 273, 371, 461) are positioned at the outside of the shell under the normal conditions.